Recognising and managing an acute asthma attack

Asthma attacks are potentially life threatening and characterised by a reversible narrowing of the airways, they affects 1.1 million children in the UK (Asthma UK, 2021a). Approximately 25 000 children are admitted to hospital as an emergency per year because of asthma attacks (NHS London, 2020). In 2018, 20 children under the age of 14 died from asthma, while 22 between the ages of 15–24 years old died (Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, 2020). Therefore, it is important to be able to recognise asthma attacks and initiate appropriate management.

‘Formal diagnosis of asthma is difficult and must reflect the chronic nature of the disease…There is no one test that confirms a diagnosis of asthma. GPs use a combination of clinical history and lung function testing…any child who presents as acutely unwell with wheeze should be treated as though they have asthma’